Conveying mechanism



Feb. 28, 1928. 1,660,939

K. F. SNOW v v CONVEYING MECHANI SM Filed Dec. 4; 1922 IN VEN TOR.

A TTORNE Y Patented Feb. 28, 1928.

UNITED STATES 1,660,939 PATENT OFFICE.

KARL 1. SHOW, 01' BREOKSVILLE, OHIO, ASSIGNO R TO THE C 0. BARTLETT & SNOW COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO. 7

. convavme macnmrsm,

Application filed December 4, 1922. Serial No. 604,788.

The present improvements, relating, as indicated, to conveying mechanism, have more particular regard to the provision of an ad ustable mounting for the shaft that carries the sprocket wheels or pulleys about which one end of an endless conveyor passes. My improved construction is particularly applicable to a so-called elevator boot, but

- transversely of its axis so as to take up or increase the amount of slack in the conveyor. Still another object is to provide easy and convenient accessto the shaft and its bearings, whereby it is rendered unnecessary to dismantle the boot or other enclosing structure wherein such shaft in the corresponding end of the elevator is housed. v To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particular] pointed out in the claims, the annexed di'awin an the following description setting forth in detail certain mechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting, however, but one of various mechanical forms in which the principle of the invention may be used.

Insaid annexed drawing Fig. 1 is a. side elevation of an elevator boot wherein my present improved construction has been incorporated Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section thereof, the plane. of such section being indicated by the line 2-2, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 1s a similar horizontal section, the plane of which is indi-' cated by the line 33, Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a vertical-section on the plane indicated by the line 41-4, Fig. 1 and on asomewhat larger scale than the section of Fig. 2, showing details of one of the journal boxes and the mounting therefor; *Fig. 5 is a horizontal section of another detail,likewise on a somewhat larger scale than that of Fig. 3, the plane of the section being indicated by the line 55, Fig. 1; Figs. 6 and/T are sectional views, similar to that of Fig. 5, but respectively showing a modification in construction' and Fig. 8 is a broken elevation and sectional view showing still another modification of the-same detail.

The general form of the housing 1, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is that of a rectangularbox, such box being shown as built up out of plates and angle bars in familiar manner. It will, of course, be understood that the particular shape of such housing, as Well as the material and the structural details thereof, form no part of the present invention other than as will now be described. It will also be understood that such housing may either be a boot, such as is regularly employed at the lower end of an elevating conveyor, or in certain cases it may be the housing at the upper end of such a conveyor, or it may be the housing at either end of a horizontally extending conveyor, depending upon circumstances. The shaft 2, which is journaled as will now be described in such housing 1, may carry either one or more sprocket wheels '3 about which the conveyor passes, or a pulley, or other equivalent driving element.

Whatever the character of such driving element, the housing is formed on its opposite sides with aligned rectangular openings 1 A of proper dimensions to permit the shaft 2 to be withdrawn therethrough wihout dising element carried by the latter. The ver tical, as well as the'horizontal, edges of each mounting the sprocket wheel 3 or other drivopening 4 are reinforced by means of a narrow stiffening plate or bar 5, riveted or welded thereto, and in addition there is similarly secured to each such vertical edge against the outer face of the corresponding plate an angle bar 6 which extends for some distance above and below the opening 4, such bars 6 forming a part of the framework of the housing 1,as shown in Fi s. 1 and 2.

Said angle bars 6, to ether with vertical plates 5, form on each side of the housing a guideway for a vertically adjustable rectangular plate 7 that serves as a closure for the corresponding opening 4. Such closure plate,

it-will be noted, is of sufficient vertical extent so that it will serve to cover the open- I means may be employed, but I preferably utilize a vertically disposed bolt 8 that passes through a suitable opening in a transverse bar 9 on the housing that lies above the corres onding opening 4, such opening, and'thus e bolt, being located centrally with respect to the respective edges of the plate 7. Two nuts 10 on said bolt, one above and the other below the bar in question, serve to raise or lower the, bolt as desired and to lock the same inselected position. The bolt is disposed with its head downwardly and the latter is received in an undercut slot 11 formed in a bracket 12 suitably secured to the outer face of the plate 7 near its upper edge. Said bracket projects above the edge of the plate, and the slot 11 therein, as shown in Fig. 2, is open on its inner face so that the bracket may be disengaged from the bolt head upon moving the plate bodily outwardly from the housing.

In order to secure the plate 7 firmly in place against the edges of the opening 4, clamping means are provided in conjunction with the angle bars 6 that form, as aforesaid, the guides between which the plate is held. In the construction illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 5, such clamping means take the form of eccentrics 15 .pivoted to the outwardly directed flanges of the respective angles 6- and provided with short handles 16, whereby said eccentrics may be rotated to forcibly press the adjacent edges of the plate 7 against the underlying reinforcing plates 5. However, upon suitably rotating the handle 16, the eccentrics will release the plate and the latter may then be raised or lowered by adjusting the position of bolt 8, as .just described. When it is desired to bodily remove the plate 7 from the housing, the eccentrics are simply detached, by removing the bolts 17 whereby they are secured to the angle bars 6. It will be understood that while only two such eccentrics 15 are shown one on each side of the plate 7, as many additional pairs thereof mafi be employed as desired.

' Fig. 6 a simpler form of clamping device is illustrated, the same consisting of an angle bar 18- that is bolted to the outwardly directed flanges of angle bars 6 so as to. press with itsone side a ainst the adjacent edge of the plate 7. aid angle bars 18 may be adjustable transversely of the bolts that thus secure the-same to angle "bars 6 so as to permit ofclamping action,

or they may be stationaril secured in place and thus serve merel to orm closed guideways for the edges of the plate 7.

In the modified construction shown in Fig. 7, set bolts 20 are 'employed'to clamp plate 71in place. These bolts are conveniently mounted in apertured lugs 21, detachably secured to t e outwardly directed flanges of angle bars The apertures in such In S need not 'be threaded, the

Assuming that shaft 2 is 'a driven shaft, I

the one end, shown as the right-hand end in Fig. 2, will necessarily requireto extend beyond the journal box 25 provided for said shaft in the corresponding plate 7. In the case, however, of the other end of said shaft, the corresponding journal box 26, the detailed construction of which is best shown in Fig. 4, will be closed and so serve as a stop for the shaft, doing away with the necessity of any collar thereon in order to hold the same in place. Aside from this difference, the boxes are identical in construction, a bushing 27 of Babbitt metal or the like forming'the bearing proper and theinner end of such bearing being sealed by means of a ring 28 of felt packing held in place by housing 1, such plates are provided with central a ertures that are reinforced about their mner edges by means of a circular bearing member 31 and about their outer edges by means of a complementary bearing member 32, the inner faces of said bearing members forming a spherical concave bearing for a corresponding spherical convex encircling projection 33 on the box. The inner bearing member 31 is secured to the plate 7 by means of bolts 34 that have their threaded ends directed outwardly so as to project through radially projecting a ertured cars 35 on bearing member 32. aid cars 35, however, do not contact with the outerface of the plate 7, but a sufiicient space is allowed for nuts 36 on the bolts to be inserted, such nuts serving to retain the inner bearing member 31 in place independe ently of the outer member 32, which is held in place by means of separate nuts 37 In addition to being provided with con-- 'vex bearing surface 36, each box is formed with two oppositely projecting pins 40,

disposedin a horizontal plane and received 'in correspondingly disposed recesses formed than the other, said 'boxes being selfaligning.

As a result of the foregoing constructlon, if it 1s desired to secure access merely to one or the other of the bearings of shaft 2, this may be accomplished by removing the outer bearing member 32 which thereupon permits the corresponding box 25 or 26, as the case may be, to be withdrawnoutwardly for replacement or in order to be re-bushed or otherwise repaired as may be necessary. This may be accomplished without disturbing in any way the housing or even the adjustments of the other parts. WVhen it becomes necessary to have access to the interior of the housing, as for example in order to get at the driving element 3, one or both of the plates 7 may be easily and quickly detached from said housing by releasing the corresponding clamping members, whether these consist of the eccentrics shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5, the modified eccentrics shown in Fig. 8, the angle bar shown in Fig. 6, or the set bolts shown in Fig. 7. Such removal of the plates is accomplished without disturbing the adjustment of bolts 8 and the parts may again be replaced in their original position.

Moreover, where two sprocket wheels are used, the conveyor similarl comprising two chains passing over such w eels, it may happen that one chain will be slightly longer than the other, either initially or .due to uneven wear. With my improved oscillating, or ball-and-socket type of mounting for the shaft that carries such wheels it is obviously possible to put more tension on one chain than the other, since such bearings are self-aligning, as reviouslyexplained.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the mechanism herein disclosed, providedthe'means stated by any ofthe following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention 2-- 1. In mechanism of the character described, the combination of a housing having an opening in its side; a plate adapted to close such opening and being adjustable relative to said housing; a transversely disposed shaft in said housing aligned with such opening and having a convex journal surface; and a bearing for said shaft comprising two separable complcmental concave bearing members, one such member removably fastened to the inner side of said plate and the other being independently removably fastened to the outer side of the plate.

2. In mechanism of the character described, the combination of a housing having an opening in its side; a transversely disposed shaft in said housing aligned with such opening; angle bars secured to said housing adjacent opposite edges of such opening; a plate slidably fitted between said bars; an adjusting bolt secured to said housing and detachably engaging one end of said plate; and means adapted to clamp said plate in adjusted position, said means being detachably secured to said angle bars.

3. In mechanism of the character described, the combination of a housing having an opening in its side; a transversely disposedshaft in said housing aligned with such opening; angle bars secured to said housing adjacent opposite edges of such opening; a plate slidably fitted between said bars; an adjusting bolt secured to said housing and detachably engaging one end of said plate; and eccentrics detachably, rotatably secured to said angle bars and adapted to press against said plate to clamp same in adjusted position.

Signed by methis 24th day of November, 1922.

KARL F. SNOW. 

